10 Types of AI Attacks CISOs Should Track

New AMBERSQUID Cryptojacking Operation Targets Uncommon AWS Services

A novel cloud-native cryptojacking operation has set its eyes on uncommon Amazon Web Services (AWS) offerings such as AWS Amplify, AWS Fargate, and Amazon SageMaker to illicitly mine cryptocurrency.
The malicious cyber activity has been codenamed AMBERSQUID by cloud and container security firm Sysdig.
"The AMBERSQUID operation was able to exploit cloud services without triggering the AWS   Read More 

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DDoS Attack Growing Bigger & Dangerous, New Report Reveals

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are escalating at an alarming rate, as unveiled in a revelation by Cloudflare researchers and the recent data indicates that these attacks posing an increasingly severe threat to online services and infrastructure worldwide.

Cloudflare, a leading cybersecurity company, reports mitigating over 14.5 million DDoS attacks since the beginning of 2024, averaging an astounding 2,200 attacks per hour.

Analysis of DDoS attack metrics over the past decade reveals a concerning trend.

The growth in attack size is not linear but exponential, with the curve becoming steeper in recent years.

This exponential increase is observed Cloudflare researchers across multiple metrics:-

• Bits per second (bps): Skyrocketed from 309 Gbps in 2013 to a staggering 5.6 Tbps in 2024, marking a 20-fold increase.
• Packets per second (pps): Surged from 230 Mpps in 2015 to 2,100 Mpps in 2024, a 10-fold rise.
• Requests per second (rps): Experienced the most dramatic growth, soaring from 6 Mrps in 2020 to an unprecedented 201 Mrps in September 2024, representing a 70-fold increase since 2014.

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Evolving Attack Strategies

The exponential growth in attack magnitude is attributed to several factors:-

1. Shift in Attack Sources: Attackers are transitioning from IoT-based botnets to more powerful VM-based botnets, leveraging the superior computational capabilities of cloud-hosted virtual machines.
2. Exploitation of Cloud Resources: Cybercriminals are increasingly utilizing anonymized access to cloud infrastructure, often using stolen payment details, to deploy smaller yet more efficient botnets capable of launching massive attacks.
3. Advanced Attack Techniques: The emergence of new attack methods, such as the HTTP/2 Rapid Reset attack, has enabled attackers to generate unprecedented volumes of requests, catching many defense systems off guard.

This exponential growth in DDoS attack capabilities presents significant challenges for organizations and cybersecurity professionals:-

• Increased Vulnerability: As attacks grow in size and sophistication, previously adequate defense mechanisms may become obsolete, leaving more systems vulnerable.
• Economic Impact: The potential for service disruptions and downtime increases, potentially leading to substantial financial losses for targeted organizations.
• Need for Advanced Protection: Traditional DDoS mitigation strategies may no longer suffice, necessitating more robust, automated, and scalable defense solutions.

As DDoS attacks continue to evolve and grow in magnitude, it is crucial for organizations to stay vigilant and invest in cutting-edge protection measures.

The exponential growth trend observed in recent years suggests that the threat landscape will only become more challenging, requiring constant adaptation and innovation in cybersecurity strategies to safeguard digital assets and maintain online service availability.

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Facebook & Instagram is Down, Massive Disruption in Meta History

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In a rare and disruptive event, Facebook, Instagram, and Google experienced a widespread outage that prevented users worldwide from accessing their accounts.

The outage, which affected social media platforms and the tech giant’s services, resulted in complaints from users who could not log in and were experiencing stalled feeds.

The simultaneous login problems on Facebook and Instagram sent shockwaves through the online community, disrupting the daily routines of millions of users who rely on these platforms for communication, entertainment, and business purposes.

The inability to access accounts frustrated individuals and raised concerns about data security and the reliability of these tech giants’ services.

The website Downdetector.com monitors service disruptions and reported that Meta Platforms’ social media services, Facebook and Instagram, experienced outages on Tuesday, affecting tens of thousands of users.

The site, which aggregates outage reports from various sources, including user submissions, recorded over 300,000 outage reports for Facebook and over 20,000 for Instagram.

Meta Reports Major Disruptions Across Services, Affecting Third-Party Site Access

Meta has announced on its business status page that it is experiencing several service disruptions, including significant issues with its group’s admin center and the Facebook login feature.

The latter, which permits users to access third-party services using their Facebook credentials, has consequently caused reported outages across a range of other websites. This series of disruptions underscores the widespread impact of Meta’s service issues on the broader digital ecosystem.

Mar 5 2024 10:37 PM GMT+5:30 : Recovering from disruptions: Platform Status

“We are recovering from an earlier outage impacting Facebook Login, and services are in the process of being restored. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”

Mar 5 2024 8:47 PM GMT+5:30 :Major disruptions: Platform Status

We are aware of an issue impacting Facebook Login. Our engineering teams are actively looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

As users attempted to log in, they were met with error messages and stalled loading screens, indicating a widespread issue that transcended geographical boundaries.

Businesses relying heavily on these platforms for marketing and customer engagement found themselves at a standstill, unable to reach their target audiences or maintain their online presence.

According to the Meta Spoke person, “We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now.”

Adding to the chaos, Google’s platform also experienced login problems during the same period, compounding the challenges faced by internet users worldwide. The triple outage underscored the interconnected nature of today’s digital ecosystem and highlighted the vulnerabilities inherent in relying on a few key players for online communication and information dissemination.

As tech teams scrambled to identify and rectify the root causes of the outages, users turned to alternative communication channels and social media platforms to stay connected. The incident served as a stark reminder of the importance of diversifying our online presence and having contingency plans to mitigate the impact of such widespread disruptions.

While updates from the companies involved were eagerly awaited, users expressed frustration over the lack of access to their accounts and the uncertainty surrounding when normal service would be restored.

The outage was among the top trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, with the platform’s owner Elon Musk taking a shot at Meta with a post that said: “If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working”.

As these tech giants work to address the issues and restore functionality to their platforms, users remain vigilant for further disruptions in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

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